Breaking the Sweater Curse
by rjwritergirl
Summary: On the day of their wedding, Anna tells John about a superstition that some Knitter's have. K for mention of a sexual assault.
1. Chapter 1

_On Tumblr, there was a post about what knitters call the sweater curse. For those who don't know, the sweater curse is a term used by knitters, much like myself that if you knit a sweater for your significant other you will break up either before it's finished or soon after giving it to them. Some say it's legend, but some say it's fact._

 _PS, first bit of writing I've been able to do since earlier this year. Please forgive any mis-spellings and grammical errors._

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John Bates whistled as he walked up the stairs to his and Anna's flat. Today was his and Anna's 5th year anniversary, he was planning on proposing. Truth be told, he would have proposed to Anna on their first anniversary, but due to circumstances beyond his and Anna's control they'd had a rough few years. First his (thankfully now ex) wife had popped up, after 15 years of being gone and he'd gladly divorced her, then one of Anna's former co-workers had assaulted her, and Anna had (understandably) needed some time to heal.

John hadn't pushed her for anything she wasn't ready and willing to give to him. A few weeks back, Anna had mentioned in passing that she could see them still together in 10 years. He figured it was now time to propose.

He walked in to find Anna knitting in her rocking chair. She was just finishing what looked like a scarf and John put his hat and jacket on the hooks by the door. "Is that scarf for me?" he teased. He didn't recognize the yarn, and wondered how quickly she'd been able to knit the long scarf. He put his own long scarf over his jacket and turned to Anna when he realized that she hadn't answered.

Anna was cutting the yarn after tying a knot off and she then stared intently at the scarf, fingering it, as she concentrated at looking at the finished project.

"You all right?" John asked. Anna started, and John thought he saw tears in her eyes. "What's wrong?"

Anna shook her head a little, and John decided to change the subject. "I don't recognize this project, how quickly did you knit this?"

"I actually started it right after the divorce was final."Anna's voice was thin.

"I'm surprised you took this long to finish it." John commented. Anna had once said that she'd been knitting for as long as she could remember. And John knew how quickly she could turn skeins of yarn into baby sweaters, a scarf, or a hat. Once she had bought 6 skeins of yarn from the yarn store and they had been turned into a sweater, 2 pairs of booties, 2 hats and part of a baby blanket in under a week when Edith Crawley had announced she was having a little girl. Had Anna lost this project? That wasn't like her either, she was very organized.

Anna brushed a tear away and John knelt in front of her ignoring his knee's protest. "Anna, my darling, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just-"Anna paused. "After Green, I put my knitting projects away, some of them at least. And my therapist suggested that I finish those projects, and it's a bit emotional. I put this away after I got home from hospital when he..."

John nodded, "Would you like me to make you a cup of tea?" Anna nodded.

"Yes." Anna folded the scarf up and put it in the basket by her feet. "I've got Chinese on the way, and there's a pie thawing in the refrigerator."

"I'll put the pie in later, we'll just have a low key night." John promised. He watched as Anna picked up another project, he faintly remembered hearing her say it was going to be a blanket for Sybbie, Sybil and Tom Branson's toddler.

 _ **25 months later:**_

John fiddled with his tie and finally gave up when his Best Man, Robert stepped up and fixed the tie for him.

"Uncle Bates?" Mary knocked on the door and stuck her head in. She and Gwen Dawson (soon to be Gwen Harding) were co maid-of-honors in the wedding and John wondered if anything was wrong in the bridal suite.

"Yes?" John sucked in a breath nervously.

"Anna wanted me to give you this." Mary held up a bag. "And she also wanted me to tell you not to brood about not getting her a present. Marrying you is present enough." John reached out to take the bag and Mary continued to speak. "Her only request is that you open this in private, and read the letter."

John nodded "I will."

Mary turned to the men in the Groom's dressing room. "We need your help in the church, let's go."

They filed out and finally John was alone with the bag. He could see a letter poking out of it and he withdrew the envelope.

 _John,_

 _I'm writing this as you sleep, I can hear you snoring in the bedroom and I am typing madly to finish this letter so I can go to bed with you. Our wedding day is in less then a week, 3 days to be exact. I know you said you didn't want to exchange gifts but I needed to give this to you. I don't believe I've ever mentioned the sweater curse to you. The sweater curse is a superstition that if a knitter were to knit their significant other a sweater, that they would either break up while the sweater was being knitted or shortly there after._

 _You've teased me somewhat about not knitting you anything. I never really explained why I hadn't. When we first got together I wasn't sure if you'd like something hand-knitted, if you'd appreciate the work that went into it or if you'd claim it "too nice to wear" either way, it would collect dust and if I knit something for someone then I want it to be used. When you started teasing me about knitting you a scarf I finally decided to knit you one, I searched for just the right pattern and scoured the yarn shops for the right color and type of yarn for you._

 _I finally found a yarn and pattern that matched and prepared to cast on, only to have Vera show up and drag the divorce out nearly 2 years. I set the pattern and yarn aside and vowed to cast on the day the divorce was final. That day finally came and I cast on, I was nearly done with it when Green attacked me._ _I felt I wasn't worthy of your love. I felt that I wasn't good enough to be married to you and that you wouldn't want anything to do with me. I put this project away and didn't touch it for quite some time. I finally pulled it out_ _when my therapist suggested it. Ironically enough, I finished this scarf the night you proposed._

John paused in reading the letter and pulled the scarf out of the bag. There was the scarf Anna had finished the night he'd proposed. He hadn't seen it after that night and had assumed she'd donated it to charity, something she did occasionally if she'd made a project she couldn't use or give as a gift. He fingered the scarf and smiled faintly. He turned back to the letter.

 _First your now ex wife shows up, then I'm assaulted, so considering the history of this scarf I am a little hesitant to give it to you. But I refuse to let a superstition win. This scarf was meant to be a present for our 1st_ _anniversary. Now, finally 6 years later, I'm giving it to you and thumbing my knitting needles at the sweater curse. Even if this superstition is true, no matter what happens, I know we'll get through it._

 _Happy Wedding day, John. I can't wait to marry you._

 _Love, Anna._

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	2. Chapter 2

**_I thought I was done with this story. But a second chapter decided to worm it's way out of me so here it is…_**

Anna Bates couldn't help but frown as she brought all the coats and winter gear out of the front closet. It had been a couple of years since she'd properly gone through everything and it was long past time to reorganize it. She dumped everything onto the living room floor and began to go through the many coats, jackets and scarves that were piled up. She made a mental note to buy Robert, their 10 year old son a new winter coat as it looked like everything that was his in the closet was too small. After hanging the remaining jackets and coats up properly, she turned to the hats, scarves, and mittens that were now piled onto the couch.

"How in heaven's name do three people have that many hats and mittens?" John asked, he stopped in the middle of the room, next to a pile of hangers that had seen better days.

"Because I have no control when I see pretty yarn and a pattern in Robbie's size." Anna responded, smirking. "At least he appreciates the things I knit him, the women at my knitting group say a boy like Robbie is rare."

"He gets it from his father, I still have the scarf you knitted for me when we got married." Anna glanced at the pile of scarves, she could see the Grey cable poking out of the brightly coloured scarves Robbie liked. "Although to be fair, that was only five or six years ago, right?" John teased.

"Fifteen this Christmas,"Anna corrected, laughing.

"If it won't evoke the sweater curse, I'd love a new one." John said he stepped around a box of brightly colored (but too small for Robbie) hats and mittens. He bent to kiss her and Anna hummed as the kiss ended.

"To be honest, I think the sweater curse only applies to those who aren't married." Anna laughed, "I'll see what yarn and patterns I have that match."

John squeezed her hand, looked at her like she was the one responsible for making the sun rise every morning and then left to go pick up Robbie from football. After getting everything put away properly and the bags for the shelter put in the back of her car, Anna went to her rocking chair and flipped through a pattern book. John knew how much effort and time it took to knit a scarf so he hadn't asked for one except if he was teasing. But he did need a new scarf, and she'd noticed both of her husband's hats looked like they'd seen better days. She quickly cast on and was in the middle of the 2nd row when Robbie barreled into the house.

"How was football?" Anna asked, she looked up from her project.

"I made a new friend!" Robbie's hazel eyes sparkled. "His name is Michael and he liked the socks I was wearing!" Anna saw that her son was wearing the white and green striped socks she'd finished the week before. "He doesn't have a mummy to knit him things….." Robbie hinted.

"I'll have to ask his mother if she is okay with me knitting Michael something."

"He doesn't have a Mummy or Daddy at all, there was a car crash. Michael lives with his Granny and Grand-Dad."

"Once I'm done with the hat and scarf for your dad, I'll start on a few things for Michael."

Robbie grinned and dashed into his room. John came in a few seconds later, dropping the football odds and ends that Robbie had left in the car.

"Did he tell you about his new friend?"

Anna smiled as she continued to knit on the hat. "Yes, and when I'm done with this project I'll be making some things for him."

Several months passed, Michael became an almost daily fixture at their house. Anna continued to knit, something she found extremely relaxing and still found enjoyment in. Anna loved knitting for Michael, who like Robbie loved to wear the hand knitted hats, scarves and mittens that she knitted. It was almost like having two children to knit for, and Anna tried not to think about the fact that she and John had wanted to have more children then just Robbie.

The scarf and hats for John were folded in the bottom drawer of her dresser. Anna wasn't sure why she hadn't given them to her husband when she finished the projects. Did she believe in the sweater curse after all? Was she, in some way worried that something would happen to hers and John's relationship if she were to give him the item's she'd made?

Some of the women in her knitting group hadn't even heard of the sweater curse and she hadn't believed it herself when she'd first heard it. But the items remained folded in the bottom drawer of her dresser.

Christmas crept closer and Anna decided she would wrap up the hats and scarf and give them to her husband for Christmas. She cast on a pair of gloves to make up for the fact that her husband was wearing a threadbare scarf and hat to work every day.

She realized she had a secret and there was a twinkle in her eyes as she cast on another hat, this time one too small for her husband.

Christmas was only days away and Anna began to wrap John's presents. She set each gift under the tree along with a new gift. It was something she had knitted years before, when Robbie was much younger. She smiled as she knew how much he would love each of the handmade gifts.

Christmas day dawned and Robbie had fun unwrapping everything with his name on it and throwing the paper around the living room. Anna pulled out the special present last and handed it to John. "Last present." She smiled.

John felt the package before speaking "Something soft, maybe another hat or scarf?"

"It's too big." Robbie said. "Unless it's a hat for a giant."

Anna laughed. "This is something much smaller then a hat for a giant."

John opened the gift, his brow furrowing as he took in the pastel colors. "It's much too small for our bed." He opened the blanket, the hat and booties fell out, he didn't see them. Robbie dove down to the ground and picked them up. But John wasn't paying attention to his son. "It's too small for Robbie's bed," he murmured. "Is this a couch blanket?" he asked, holding it up to the blanket that was draped on the back of their couch. But he shook his head, as he saw that it was much smaller then the throw.

"Dad look," Robbie spoke now. He held up the booties. "Little slippers, like the ones mum makes me, but they're too small."

Anna heard John suck in his breath as he turned to her. "Anna…." he breathed.

Anna's eyes filled with tears. "Yes John." She couldn't stop smiling. "I'm due in June."

John tossed the blanket in Robbie's direction and pulled Anna in for a hug."You're sure?"

"I actually made my doctor give me an ultrasound before I believed the test results." Anna laughed. "I'm sure."

"Sure of what Mum?" Robbie asked.

"I'm going to have a baby." Anna said. She sniffled and wiped a tear that was falling.

"I'm beginning to think this sweater curse doesn't even exist." John said.

Anna laughed at that. "I think it's just a superstition that some people exaggerate."

John pulled Anna closer, for a kiss. "This is the best Christmas." he said quietly when it ended.

Anna nodded in agreement, having her family here with her, made this the best Christmas ever.

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